DICKENSIAN ADAPTATION SOLID STORY.Byline: David Kronke Television Critic ``David Copperfield'' was Charles Dickens' favorite of his novels, perhaps due to its autobiographical elements - it's about a youthful aspiring writer who survives a period of brutal child labor child labor, use of the young as workers in factories, farms, and mines. Child labor was first recognized as a social problem with the introduction of the factory system in late 18th-century Great Britain. and a flirtation with the legal profession. In ``Masterpiece Theatre's'' typically handsome adaptation of the book, boy, oh boy, does David take it on the chin again and again (well, in boarding school he takes it on the knuckles a lot), yet proves wonderfully resilient. After an uneventful adolescence, he goes about hooking up with many of the same folks for more emotional roundelays and tragedies before arriving at the splashy splash·y adj. splash·i·er, splash·i·est 1. Making or likely to make splashes. 2. Covered with splashes of color. 3. Showy; ostentatious. See Synonyms at showy. happy ending. As young David, Daniel Radcliffe plays opposite these acting titans with elan - ``Harry Potter'' casting agents will want to check this kid out - though Ciaran McMenamin is a little blander as older David. ``Copperfield'' boasts a wealth of England's most celebrated performers - Maggie Smith as his fidgeting, good-hearted aunt, Sir Ian McKellen as the comically unfeeling schoolmaster SCHOOLMASTER. One employed in teaching a school. 2. A schoolmaster stands in loco parentis in relation to the pupils committed to his charge, while they are under his care, so far as to enforce obedience to his, commands, lawfully given in his capacity of , Bob Hoskins as the dreamer Micawber - in small parts orbiting around David's tumultuous life. Nicholas Lyndhurst makes a nicely creepy Uriah Heep Uriah Heep can refer to:
v. blus·tered, blus·ter·ing, blus·ters v.intr. 1. To blow in loud, violent gusts, as the wind during a storm. 2. a. To speak in a loudly arrogant or bullying manner. Mr. Dick. Many of the other supporting players are rather broad, as if they're auditioning for positions at a Victorian theme park. At 3 1/2 hours over two nights, it's a bit long-winded, much like Micawber, but for Dickens fans, avowed a·vow tr.v. a·vowed, a·vow·ing, a·vows 1. To acknowledge openly, boldly, and unashamedly; confess: avow guilt. See Synonyms at acknowledge. 2. To state positively. faithfulness, as Micawber's wife discovers, has its rewards. THE FACTS --The show: ``David Copperfield.'' --What: ``Masterpiece Theatre'' adaptation of the Dickens classic. --The stars: Ciaran McMenamin, Daniel Radcliffe, Maggie Smith, Ian McKellen, Bob Hoskins. --Where: KCET KCET Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo (Japan) KCET Kamaraj College of Engineering and Technology . --When: 9 tonight and Monday. --Our rating: Three stars CAPTION(S): photo, box Photo: Ciaran McMenamin is the title character in Masterpiece Theatre's ``David Copperfield.'' Box: THE FACTS (see text) |
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